New Windsor Cantonement
Frequently
overlooked in the great sweep of history as being
the central battleground of the American Revolution,
the Hudson Valley determined the success or failure
of the Colonial States in their quest for independence
from Great Britain. Strategically, the Hudson River
was the only navigable river into the interior of the
continent and its location empowered whoever controlled
it to either allow or prevent commerce between the northern
Colonies and those in the south. Should the British
have been able to gain control of the Hudson, the outcome
of the war would surely have been different.
And the British spent great time,
effort and resources attempting to gain control of the
mighty Hudson River just so they could control the commercial
trade routes between north and south. Their first act
in the war was to take Manhattan and drive General Washington
and his continental troups north chasing them up to
White Plains and forcing them across the river. In a
massive effort, they then descended south from Canada
under the command of Gen. Burguoyne, down through Lake
Champlain, down the Hudson battling the colonists at
every turn. Finally at Saratoga, Burguoyne lost his
momentum and was defeated and captured, bringing the
battle over the northern Hudson to a close.
Throughout the war, various fortifications
and sites in Orange County were pivotal in the efforts
of Washington and his troops to stay the British and
prevent them from coming up into the Hudson Valley.
Chief among these locations was West Point, site of
the major fortifications along the Hudson and commanded
by Benedict Arnold. Washington himself spent more time
in the Hudson Valley and Orange County than any other
location in the colonies during the war years. And as
the war drew to a close, it was Orange County that Washington
chose as his last staging ground for his troops and
his entorage to insure the British didn't attempt a
run up the Hudson before the final treaties could be
signed.
Orange County is rich in Revolutionary
sites ranging from the mundane of camp life for enlisted
men right up Washington's final residence prior to his
resigning from the Continental Army. As individual places,
they do not overwhelm the visitor with their grandeur
or the role they played in the struggle for independence.
Collectively, they should overwhelm the visitor in significance
to their daily lives and how different America would
be today were it not for the foresight, diligence and
sacrifice made to hold and defend these places in Orange
County.
The troops of Washington's armies
were encamped for miles along what is now known as Route
300. Their huts and tents streatched for a great distance
both north and south of the road as well as for about
three miles along the road. Central to this encampment
was the building known as "The Temple", an
accurate reconstruction now on the exact site of its
original construction at the New Windsor Cantonement.
Washington was pleased that the army
was better housed, fed, and clothed than ever before
in the long war, but life for the officers and troops
at the Cantonment remained hard. It was at the New Windsor
Cantonment that the cease fire orders were issued by
Washington ending the eight-year War of Independence
on April 19, 1783. The final success, however, was the
gradual, orderly disbandment of the army at the Cantonment,
and the peaceful march of its still largely unpaid officers
and men back to their homes or new pursuits.
Today, staff in reproduction period
dress and uniforms demonstrate musket drills, blacksmithing,
military medicine and camplife activities. Guests are
also welcome to view the exhibits at the Visitor Center
and the reconstructed Temple Building, which served
as a chapel for the soldiers. Soon, construction will
begin on the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor, which
will be located at New Windsor Cantonment.
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New Windsor Cantonement, a New York
State Park, is excellently maintained and totally handicapped
accessible. When you enter the site you are directed
to a Visitor Center where a small museum shows you the
events that swirled around the area at the end of the
war. From here you take a self-guided tour through the
grounds with a good map and explainatory brochure. As
you walk the grounds costumed guides are available to
answer questions and give demonstrations on various
aspects of being an enlisted man in the army. Musket
demonstrations are held on a regular basis and are thoroughly
enjoyed by the kids as they are freighteningly loud
and fill the air with acrid smoke and bits of flying
paper wadding.
There are several small huts on the
grounds that evidence proves were original to the site
during the encampment. You are invited into The Temple
to listen to speeches and lectures, into the huts to
see how the armies lived, and to ask questions of the
costumed guides. Demonstrations of all types are held,
frequently on summer and fall weekends, making a visit
to the New Windsor Cantonement a real family fun outing.
Hours:
Mid-April thru Oct., Wed.-Sat. 10 a.m.-5 p.m, Sun. 1-5
p.m. Also open Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor
Day and Veterans Day.
Admission:
$4.00 adults, $3.00 NYS Senior Citizens, $1.00 children
5-12, children under 5 admitted free.
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